Nick and Jess and a Cabine in the Wine Country
by Ztofan
Summary: Nick wants to take Jess on a romantic getaway. He's really serious about being a good boyfriend and actually does some research to make sure Jess has a special and relaxing time away. They head north to Sonoma County, and discover that not all cabins are in the woods...


**This is my first fan fiction piece – special thanks to MayaLala for her encouragement, and to You-drive-me-nuts-Miller for her endless support and inspiration.**

**I do not own New Girl or its characters. I also do not own Francis Ford Coppola Winery or the Hope-Merrill House B&B. Warning: contains spoilers for the first episode of Season 3.**

Nick was nervous. He'd never actually planned a romantic getaway before. He and Jess had only been dating a few weeks, and things were going really well so far. Even considering the start of their relationship involved some _misadventures_ in Mexico. Nick wanted to take another trip with Jess, just the two of them. Someplace that didn't require passports, or have taser-happy security everywhere. Someplace where she could drink endless amounts of pink wine and be twirly with him.

Getting the time off for another mini-vacation wasn't simple. Although Jess still had several weeks off before heading back into the classroom, Nick had to make quite the arrangement with Big Bob to have him cover his shifts at Clyde's for three nights in a row. It may have included a promise of baked goods from Jess, to literally sweeten the deal. It would be worth it though, Nick thought—he was determined to spend some time away from the loft with just Jess.

He thought about where they'd go, and ended up choosing the Alexander Valley wine country—about 75 miles north of San Francisco. He booked them two nights at a bed and breakfast in Geyserville. Nick wanted to give Jess another chance to have some real rest and relaxation. She'd be teaching unruly tweens in just a matter of weeks, after all.

It wasn't exactly a trip within his budget, but thankfully the Bank of Schmidt was all too happy to lend him the portion of the funds he lacked. Considering the way the whole situation south of the border went down, he figured Schmidt owed him at least a weekend away from the douchebag jar and the douche who regularly filled it.

They left by 7 a.m. on Friday, going north on boring I-5 all the way until they reached the Bay Area; stopped three times along the way to eat and such. Shortly after 5 p.m., when they got off the freeway and pulled into the graveled driveway of the bed and breakfast, Nick was not prepared for Jess' reaction to the place.

The Hope-Merrill House was a light brown, two-story Victorian with eight rooms. He had a feeling she would like it, but didn't realize how much until after they'd received their room key and he opened the large redwood door. Letting Jess into their room before him, he enjoyed her reaction to seeing their accommodations for the next two nights.

"It has a chaise lounge by the window!" Jess exclaimed. "That's almost like a window seat and you know I love window seats! I totally wish we had one in the loft, you know." She smiled sweetly at Nick. He shrugged and laughed. "Maybe I could fancy fix one up for you, then."

"And then we can have window seat sex!" Jess winked at him.

Nick blushed a little—how did she make him feel this way all the time? So _lucky_?

Jess made her way into the bathroom. "Oh YES! A bathtub!" She squealed. Her eyes lit up even more, if that was even possible.

"Of course, Jess-and not only is it a bathtub, it's a _jacuzzi _tub. It has jets!" he wanted to match her enthusiasm. He loved putting smiles on her face. Whatever he could do to make her look at him the way she did; whatever she wanted, he wanted to give it to her.

"You are so thoughtful, Nicholas," Jess turned to him and pulled him into a kiss.

"I just want to make you happy, Jessica," Nick replied, taking her face in his hands and deepening the kiss.

Nick had done a little research about the area and found a perfect place for him and Jess to lounge poolside, in style. Francis Ford Coppola Winery, also in Geyserville, had two swimming pools and special "cabines," you could rent for the day. They were a bit pricey to reserve, but Nick knew Jess would appreciate them having their own special private area where they could keep their stuff for the day.

"What time does the pool at Coppola open, again?" Jess asked Nick a couple of hours later. They were lounging on their queen sized bed as she flipped through a copy of the B&B's booklet of local restaurants. They were planning on going out to dinner but her mind was already on the next day's activities.

"I think around 11 a.m.," Nick replied. "Can't wait to lounge by the pool again, huh Jess?"

"I just can't believe we get our own _cabine_, too!" said Jess, excited at the possibilities.

"That's just a fancy Italian name for cabana, ya know," Nick replied.

The next morning, after their scrumptious breakfast of fresh fruit, chili egg puffs with salsa, and the innkeeper's homemade scones, Nick and Jess headed to Coppola Winery. Jess oohed and ahhed at the lush vineyards surrounding the area. Nick had to admit it was pretty freaking gorgeous. _Might be a nice place to live once I've made my zombie novel fortune, _he thought dryly.

They got their pool passes and cabine key from the service desk; and Jess immediately pulled on Nick's arm and led them toward the large, sparkling pool. She located their assigned number along the row of slim, white cabines and placed her tote bag on one of the cobalt blue lounge chairs directly in front. She kicked off her sandals and pulled a bottle of sunscreen out of her bag. "Slather me, Sailor!" Jess pulled her hair up into a loose bun and pointed her creamy shoulders towards her boyfriend.

"Um…okay." Nick took the bottle from her and then realized what she might be thinking about.

"No shenanigans, Jess!" Nick exclaimed. "This is a family place…"

"You don't want to?" she asked, looking up at him with those blue eyes. She looked over towards the door of the cabine, then back to Nick.

"You know I _want_ to," Nick hastily assured her. "Just not here. That cabine is for…securing our belongings…and, err, taking a shower before going into the pool…and it's got our little cans of Sofia Rosé inside…" his voice trailed off as he tried to remember all the logical reasons why they shouldn't just slip in there, and see how else they could pass some time.

Jess sighed. "I can't help it, Miller- I want you all the damn time!" She gave a soft laugh and sat down on the edge of the chaise. "But, I also really do want to enjoy the afternoon here and drink my pink wine and soak up all this wine country sunshine with my boyfriend."

Nick grinned. He never got tired of hearing her call him that. "I like that plan. Hey, are you hungry? I was thinking of getting us something from the pool café…"

"Sure," Jess replied. "Can you get me some gelato?"

"Whatever my girlfriend wants," Nick responded, giving her hand a squeeze before heading over to the island bar. He knew he must have sounded cheesy as hell, but—without the guys around, with it just being him and Jess together in this beautiful place—it actually felt so natural to say such things.


End file.
